{"id":32671,"date":"2014-08-26T22:31:21","date_gmt":"2014-08-26T19:31:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.hoops.co.il\/?p=32671"},"modified":"2014-08-28T03:27:19","modified_gmt":"2014-08-28T00:27:19","slug":"%d7%9c%d7%90%d7%a1-%d7%95%d7%95%d7%92%d7%90%d7%a1-%d7%95%d7%94%d7%93%d7%95%d7%a7-%d7%a2%d7%9c-%d7%90%d7%95%d7%aa%d7%95-%d7%93%d7%a3-%d7%a4%d7%97%d7%95%d7%aa-%d7%90%d7%95-%d7%99%d7%95%d7%aa%d7%a8","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hoops.co.il\/?p=32671","title":{"rendered":"\u05dc\u05d0\u05e1 \u05d5\u05d5\u05d2\u05d0\u05e1 \u05d5\u05d4\u05d3\u05d5\u05e7 \u05e2\u05dc \u05d0\u05d5\u05ea\u05d5 \u05d3\u05e3 \u05e4\u05d7\u05d5\u05ea \u05d0\u05d5 \u05d9\u05d5\u05ea\u05e8 \/ \u05de\u05e0\u05d7\u05dd \u05dc\u05e1"},"content":{"rendered":"<header>\n<h1 itemprop=\"headline name\"><\/h1>\n<header>\n<h1 itemprop=\"headline name\">\u00a0Restricted Free-Agency Status Backfiring on NBA Players and Teams?<\/h1>\n<address itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/Person\">By <a itemprop=\"url\" title=\"D.J. Foster\" href=\"http:\/\/bleacherreport.com\/users\/2424984-dj-foster\">D.J. Foster <\/a>, Featured Columnist<\/address>\n<h4 itemprop=\"author\"><time itemprop=\"datePublished\" data-updated_at=\"1408755250\">Aug 22, 2014<\/time><\/h4>\n<div id=\"top-share-buttons-region\">\n<ul>\n<li data-position=\"top\" data-source=\"facebook\"><a title=\"Share on Facebook\" href=\"http:\/\/bleacherreport.com\/articles\/2172739-is-restricted-free-agency-status-backfiring-on-nba-players-and-teams#\"> Share <\/a><\/li>\n<li data-position=\"top\" data-source=\"twitter\"><a title=\"Share on Twitter\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?original_referer=http%3A%2F%2Fbleacherreport.com%2Farticles%2F2172739-is-restricted-free-agency-status-backfiring-on-nba-players-and-teams&amp;text=Is+Restricted+Free-Agency+Status+Backfiring+on+NBA+Players+and+Teams%3F&amp;tw_p=tweetbutton&amp;via=bleacherreport&amp;counturl=http%3A%2F%2Fbleacherreport.com%2Farticles%2F2172739-is-restricted-free-agency-status-backfiring-on-nba-players-and-teams&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fbleacherreport.com%2Farticles%2F2172739-is-restricted-free-agency-status-backfiring-on-nba-players-and-teams%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter.com%26utm_medium%3Dshare%26utm_campaign%3Dweb-des-art-top-19\" target=\"_blank\"> Tweet <\/a><\/li>\n<li><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div>\n<section data-page=\"1\">\n<header>\n<div>\n<div><a title=\"Next Article\">Next ARTICLE \u00bb<\/a><\/div>\n<p>Use your \u2190 \u2192 (arrow) keys to browse more stories<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div itemprop=\"associatedMedia\">\n<div itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" itemprop=\"contentURL\" alt=\"Is Restricted Free-Agency Status Backfiring on NBA Players and Teams?\" src=\"http:\/\/img.bleacherreport.net\/img\/images\/photos\/003\/030\/456\/hi-res-7aa0365894e1531bde7574d27fc37679_crop_north.jpg?w=630&amp;h=420&amp;q=75\" width=\"630\" height=\"420\" \/><\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>USA TODAY Sports<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>6.2K<\/div>\n<div>Reads<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>26<\/div>\n<div>Comments<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div itemprop=\"articleBody\">\n<p>If it seems odd that two of the league's brightest young talents are still available in free agency, that's because it is.<\/p>\n<p>Both <a href=\"http:\/\/bleacherreport.com\/eric-bledsoe\">Eric Bledsoe<\/a> and Greg Monroe are restricted free agents, and that's something that hasn't worked in their favor this offseason.<\/p>\n<p>Bledsoe and Monroe have both had to sit on the sidelines this offseason while they watched their fellow draft classmates get paid. After the market dried up and all the money went elsewhere, Bledsoe and Monroe now face the unenviable position of negotiating a long-term contract with almost no leverage whatsoever.<\/p>\n<p>Here's Dan Devine of\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/blogs\/nba-ball-dont-lie\/eric-bledsoe---i-can-understand-the-phoenix-suns-are-using-restricted-free-agency-against-me-201738415.html\" target=\"_blank\">Yahoo Sports<\/a>\u00a0with a good breakdown of how restricted free agency works, and how sometimes it doesn't:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>As\u00a0<a id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1408747719745_1531\" href=\"http:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/blogs\/nba-ball-dont-lie\/phoenix-suns-did-not-agree-contract-extension-eric-183820429--nba.html\">BDL Editor Kelly Dwyer wrote in November<\/a>, restricted free agency exists largely to help front-office decision-makers, allowing them to pass on bidding against themselves for players near the end of their rookie-scale contracts in favor of exploring the league-wide market for a player's services before making a long-term decision.<\/p>\n<p id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1408747719745_1521\">This can come back to bite you. The\u00a0Utah Jazz, for example, now probably wish they'd given Gordon Hayward the\u00a0<a id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1408747719745_1541\" href=\"http:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/news\/nba--after-failing-to-reach-deal-with-jazz--gordon-hayward-will-become-restricted-free-agent-next-summer-203525904.html\">&quot;deal in the four-year, $50-million plus range&quot;<\/a>\u00a0he sought last summer, rather than letting him hit restricted free agency and eventually having to match a\u00a0<a id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1408747719745_1536\" href=\"http:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/blogs\/nba-ball-dont-lie\/gordon-hayward-s-new-contract-may-not-be-the-worst-thing--even-if-it-totally-will-be-163930206.html\">four-year, $63 million offer sheet<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>But while the Jazz might be kicking themselves for not getting a deal done early after having three years of time to weigh the value of a player they drafted, the Suns had seen Bledsoe in purple and orange for\u00a0<a id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1408747719745_1721\" href=\"http:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/blogs\/nba-ball-dont-lie\/phoenix-suns-did-not-agree-contract-extension-eric-183820429--nba.html\">all of one game<\/a>\u00a0before the deadline to offer him an extension of his rookie contract. First-year Suns general manager Ryan McDonough decided instead that he'd use the leverage afforded him by restricted free agency&#8230;to let Bledsoe sing for his supper.<\/p>\n<p id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1408747719745_1551\">If McDonough didn't like the tune, then he would have avoided larding up the books with a pricey deal for a player who didn't take well to an increased role. If everything sounded sweet, he\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/blogs\/nba-ball-dont-lie\/suns-aren-t-worried-losing-suddenly-white-hot-194130319--nba.html\">could match<\/a>\u00a0any offer a competitor made, keeping a valuable contributor at the market rate.<\/p>\n<p>As it turned out, things broke just about perfectly for McDonough; he does like Bledsoe, and a month into the offseason, nobody has tested just how much he wants to keep his rising star guard in the fold.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The reason restricted free agency exists in the first place, aside from the benefit of teams not having to negotiate against themselves, is to keep players in the same market they were drafted.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div>\n<div><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/img.bleacherreport.net\/img\/article\/media_slots\/photos\/001\/686\/285\/hi-res-47bec407dcd3edd7194972870a2b3cad_crop_exact.jpg?w=650&amp;h=433&amp;q=85\" width=\"650\" height=\"433\" \/><\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>Richard Rowe\/Getty Images<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>It's beneficial to the league to give small-market teams the option to retain star players after their rookie deals are up in order to create both familiarity and league-wide parity. While it's not a guarantee that all big names would leave a city like Milwaukee after their first four years, it's understandable that the league doesn't want to test that by making all free agents unrestricted.<\/p>\n<p>Most players and teams understand the risk of entering restricted free agency instead of negotiating an extension in the offseason prior to that final year. Young players are usually wise to bet on themselves and hope that they'll perform better than ever in a contract season.<\/p>\n<p>If it were just the players getting burned in restricted free agency, it would be easy to rally for a change to the current system. But that isn't necessarily the case.<\/p>\n<p>Teams can get hurt by restricted free agency through creative offer sheets designed to make matching undesirable, and the acceptance of a qualifying offer can spell trouble as well.<\/p>\n<p>Still, the teams hold most of the cards. They can match, decline or even find a sign-and-trade to benefit all parties. One of those three options happens much more often than not. Who is the last high-profile player to accept a qualifying offer and become an unrestricted free agent the next season? Exactly.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div>\n<div><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/img.bleacherreport.net\/img\/article\/media_slots\/photos\/001\/686\/293\/hi-res-8e7d85ea9fd83a266bf82a5806f81e6d_crop_exact.jpg?w=650&amp;h=433&amp;q=85\" width=\"650\" height=\"433\" \/><\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>David Sherman\/Getty Images<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Bledsoe and Monroe are rare examples of when things can go wrong.<\/p>\n<p>Here's Sean Deveney of the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sportingnews.com\/nba\/story\/2014-08-21\/nba-restricted-free-agent-greg-monroe-eric-bledsoe-pistons-suns-sign-and-trade?utm_source=dlvr.it&amp;utm_medium=twitter\" target=\"_blank\">Sporting News<\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Given the stalemates that have gone on with Suns point guard Eric Bledsoe and Pistons forward Greg Monroe, the best option for both players would seem to be some sort of sign-and-trade. Bledsoe has been shopped around the league for the past month, while the Washington Post\u2019s Michael Lee reports that Monroe\u2019s agent, David Falk, has sought sign-and-trade deals to get his client out of Detroit.<\/p>\n<p>But, as one league general manager told Sporting News this week, their potential free agency next summer has cooled the market for each.<\/p>\n<p>'I think any one of us would be wary of getting involved in a trade for either player,' the GM said. 'Their teams overvalue them in terms of making trades, they don\u2019t want to give them away for nothing. There\u2019s no reason to give up significant assets for players who probably will be available next summer. That doesn\u2019t mean a deal can\u2019t get done, but it is complicated.'<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>A stalemate really is the best word to describe what's happening for Bledsoe and Monroe, but eventually, it will get solved. Although this situation can breed a lot of bad feelings going both ways, in this particular scenario, both sides seem to understand the realities of the business.<\/p>\n<p>Here's what Bledsoe told\u00a0<a id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1408747719745_1492\" href=\"http:\/\/www.alabamas13.com\/story\/26121041\/eric-bledsoe-on-contact-negotiations-video#.U9QgERlsQAU.twitter\">Kyle Burger of WVTM-TV <\/a>in his hometown of Birmingham:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>'First off, I'm going to let my agent handle it,' Bledsoe said [of the contract negotiations] while attending a 'Ball Up' streetball tournament in Birmingham. 'I can understand the Phoenix Suns are using restricted free agency against me. But I understand that.'<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>There is another solution for both Bledsoe and Monroe, even if it's undesirable for them and their teams. By accepting the qualifying offers available to them, both players can play one more season with their respective teams, then become unrestricted free agents in the 2015 offseason. At that point, finding a suitor would no longer be such a hassle.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, taking on that low salary for a season ($3.7 million for Bledsoe, $5.5 million for Monroe) means punting away a year of significant earnings. More importantly, if a player gets hurt, there's no guaranteeing his future financial health. It's walking on eggshells for 82 games in a lot of ways.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div>\n<div><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/img.bleacherreport.net\/img\/article\/media_slots\/photos\/001\/686\/300\/hi-res-dab7e9880a34657a681dd8e6a77a8e84_crop_exact.jpg?w=650&amp;h=433&amp;q=85\" width=\"650\" height=\"433\" \/><\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>Rocky Widner\/Getty Images<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>While players can mitigate some of that by taking out massive insurance policies, it's obviously not ideal to get paid much less than what you think you're worth, even if it's for a season. The backlash from a fanbase that knows you're leaving isn't exactly fun to deal with, either.<\/p>\n<p>Here's Brett Pollakoff at <a href=\"http:\/\/probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com\/2014\/08\/21\/nba-gm-says-theres-no-reason-to-trade-for-restricted-free-agents-greg-monroe-or-eric-bledsoe\/\" target=\"_blank\">ProBasketballTalk<\/a>\u00a0explaining why it might be worth it to accept the qualifying offer, however:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Teams have all the leverage in the restricted free agency process, but playing for the qualifying offer turns things around to where the players have the advantage. The problem is the amount of risk associated with that decision, but for guys like Bledsoe and Monroe who feel like they deserve contracts at or near the max, they may see it as the only realistic option.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>A player taking the one-year qualifying offer by the October 1 deadline is actually one of the worst-case scenarios for the team in restricted free agency. Restricted free agents that do that earn no-trade clauses, as Larry Coon explains in his <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cbafaq.com\/salarycap.htm#Q46\" target=\"_blank\">CBA FAQ<\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>There are two additional circumstances in which a trade requires the player's consent:<\/p>\n<p>-When the player is playing under a one-year contract (excluding any option year) and will have Larry Bird or Early Bird rights at the end of the season. This includes first round draft picks following their fourth (option) season, who accept their team's qualifying offer for their fifth season. When the player consents to such a trade, his Larry Bird\/Early Bird rights are not traded with him, and instead becomes a Non-Bird free agent.<\/p>\n<p>-For one year after exercising the right of first refusal to keep a restricted free agent. The player must consent to a trade to any team, although he cannot be traded to the team that signed him to the offer sheet.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>What that means is that if Monroe or Bledsoe accepted their qualifying offers, they could reject any trade they wanted to.<\/p>\n<p>It also limits the number of teams who would want to trade for the talented young players, as they couldn't go over the cap to retain him the following offseason because they lose their Bird rights.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div>\n<div><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/img.bleacherreport.net\/img\/article\/media_slots\/photos\/001\/686\/305\/hi-res-a6916de76c4c7893dff17d7cf32a3fac_crop_exact.jpg?w=650&amp;h=433&amp;q=85\" width=\"650\" height=\"433\" \/><\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>Sam Forencich\/Getty Images<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Basically, accepting the qualifying offer gives the player the power to choose his next destination from the moment he signs it, even if the freedom comes at a potentially steep price.<\/p>\n<p>It all brings on an interesting question. If the player is unhappy, and if the team stands to lose an asset for nothing after a year, is the system broken?<\/p>\n<p>Absolutely not.<\/p>\n<p>It's just a last resort for an ongoing negotiation that's failed at multiple turns. If the team and player can't come to a price in the middle, and if the market doesn't establish a price, and if a sign-and-trade can't be found, this is the result. It almost never comes to what it has for Bledsoe and Monroe.<\/p>\n<p>While it's not pretty for either side, the outcome has to be a bit unsavory for both sides to provide incentive for teams not to try and get every young player coming off their rookie contract at a temporary discount and to not have players try and leave their original team relatively early on in their careers, even if the fairness of that for players is certainly more debatable.<\/p>\n<p>With that in mind, during the next collective bargaining agreement, you'd have to imagine that it's the players who would buck against restricted free agency, if anything.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div id=\"poll-332001\">\n<div id=\"poll-ballot-332001\">\n<h4>Do you think all free agents should be unrestricted?<\/h4>\n<div>\n<form id=\"poll-vote-form\" action=\"http:\/\/bleacherreport.com\/polls\/create\" method=\"post\"><label><input type=\"radio\" name=\"vote\" value=\"choice0\" \/> Yes <\/label><label><input type=\"radio\" name=\"vote\" value=\"choice1\" \/> No <\/label>Submit Vote vote to see results<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"article\" value=\"1\" \/> <input type=\"hidden\" name=\"id\" value=\"332001\" \/><\/form>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<h4>Do you think all free agents should be unrestricted?<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<h4>Yes<\/h4>\n<div>\n<div>50.4%<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h4>No<\/h4>\n<div>\n<div>49.6%<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><label id=\"total_votes\">Total votes: 647<\/label><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps they could push for a free-agency compensation system somewhat similar to major league baseball, where everyone is unrestricted and the original team would receive a compensation draft pick based on a set of qualifiers like stats or the size of the next salary.<\/p>\n<p>That just seems incredibly unlikely to happen, as owners outside of the large markets would rally fiercely against that in the name of parity. There are no perfect solutions here, and again, this is a relatively uncommon circumstance in the first place and might not be viewed as a problem worth addressing. There will be bigger battles to fight, undoubtedly.<\/p>\n<p>Restricted free agency, whether it be through qualifying offers or &quot;poison pill&quot; contracts, can potentially backfire on both teams and players.<\/p>\n<p>It's all part of the game, though, and when you consider the goals of the league and why it's in place, it seems incredibly unlikely that any significant changes to the system will be made.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<h1 itemprop=\"headline name\"><\/h1>\n<h1 itemprop=\"headline name\">************************<\/h1>\n<h1 itemprop=\"headline name\">Anthony Have to Reinvent Himself for NY Knicks Next Season?<\/h1>\n<address itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/Person\">By <a itemprop=\"url\" title=\"Sean Hojnacki\" href=\"http:\/\/bleacherreport.com\/users\/886603-sean-hojnacki\">Sean Hojnacki <\/a>, Featured Columnist<\/address>\n<h4 itemprop=\"author\"><time itemprop=\"datePublished\" data-updated_at=\"1408619988\">Aug 21, 2014<\/time><\/h4>\n<div id=\"top-share-buttons-region\">\n<ul>\n<li data-position=\"top\" data-source=\"facebook\"><a title=\"Share on Facebook\" href=\"http:\/\/bleacherreport.com\/articles\/2164912-will-carmelo-anthony-have-to-re-invent-himself-for-ny-knicks-next-season#\"> Share <\/a><\/li>\n<li data-position=\"top\" data-source=\"twitter\"><a title=\"Share on Twitter\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?original_referer=http%3A%2F%2Fbleacherreport.com%2Farticles%2F2164912-will-carmelo-anthony-have-to-re-invent-himself-for-ny-knicks-next-season&amp;text=Will+Carmelo+Anthony+Have+to+Reinvent+Himself+for+NY+Knicks+Next+Season%3F&amp;tw_p=tweetbutton&amp;via=bleacherreport&amp;counturl=http%3A%2F%2Fbleacherreport.com%2Farticles%2F2164912-will-carmelo-anthony-have-to-re-invent-himself-for-ny-knicks-next-season&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fbleacherreport.com%2Farticles%2F2164912-will-carmelo-anthony-have-to-re-invent-himself-for-ny-knicks-next-season%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter.com%26utm_medium%3Dshare%26utm_campaign%3Dweb-des-art-top-178\" target=\"_blank\"> Tweet <\/a><\/li>\n<li><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div>\n<section data-page=\"1\">\n<header>\n<div>\n<div><a title=\"Next Article\">Next ARTICLE \u00bb<\/a><\/div>\n<p>Use your \u2190 \u2192 (arrow) keys to browse more stories<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div itemprop=\"associatedMedia\">\n<div itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" itemprop=\"contentURL\" alt=\"Will Carmelo Anthony Have to Reinvent Himself for NY Knicks Next Season?\" src=\"http:\/\/img.bleacherreport.net\/img\/images\/photos\/003\/027\/295\/hi-res-ffd0074a15614780b1dc6d500de81e7b_crop_north.jpg?w=630&amp;h=420&amp;q=75\" width=\"630\" height=\"420\" \/><\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>USA TODAY Sports<br \/>\nCarmelo Anthony shoots over the outstretched arm of Andre Iguodala during a March 30 win in Oakland.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>9.1K<\/div>\n<div>Reads<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>31<\/div>\n<div>Comments<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div itemprop=\"articleBody\" data-twttr-id=\"twttr-sandbox-0\">\n<p>The <a href=\"http:\/\/bleacherreport.com\/new-york-knicks\">New York Knicks<\/a> made exactly one splashy move this offseason: re-signing <a href=\"http:\/\/bleacherreport.com\/carmelo-anthony\">Carmelo Anthony<\/a> to a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.spotrac.com\/nba\/new-york-knicks\/carmelo-anthony\/\">five-year contract worth $124 million<\/a>. All other transactions served as window dressing, with Anthony returning to play a salary-cap waiting game for the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.spotrac.com\/nba\/new-york-knicks\/yearly\/\">2014-15 season<\/a>, before the Knicks actually free up money to sign talented free agents next summer.<\/p>\n<p>But can Anthony's potent game fit seamlessly into the Phil Jackson system?<\/p>\n<p>The present incarnation is the only scenario where Carmelo works in New York as a meaningful playoff threat. Serving under the confident leadership of Jackson, an 11-time champ as a coach, Anthony has a strong opportunity to lead the franchise to long-forgotten success in the playoffs if Jackson can build a bona fide contender around his star player.<\/p>\n<p>The Knicks have been doomed before by having one great player and a decent, though not championship-caliber, cast around him. This time around, they just so happen to have a star player and a skilled scorer uniquely suited to the new system, meaning he won't have to reinvent himself, but merely tailor his previous prowess to suit the team's new approach.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Melo We Know<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Carmelo Anthony <a href=\"http:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/a\/anthoca01.html\">led the league in scoring<\/a> for 2012-13, then produced the best rebounding season of his career last year with 8.1 boards per game, all while carrying an otherwise discombobulated Knicks team.<\/p>\n<p>Anthony will not have to reinvent himself as such, but he will certainly have to adapt his style of play to suit. Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim, who won a national title in the only season he coached Melo, put forth that Anthony stayed in New York solely because of a belief in Jackson. As Boeheim said following Monday's Team USA practice at West Point, <a href=\"http:\/\/espn.go.com\/blog\/new-york\/knicks\/post\/_\/id\/58338\/boeheim-bulls-not-knicks-better-for-melo\">per ESPN New York's Ian Begley<\/a>:<\/p>\n<p>&quot;Just from a basketball point of view it would have been better to go to Chicago because they've got better players. But he wanted to be in New York and he wants to see if they can turn it around there. I think that's a great thing \u2026\u00a0He stayed because he believes Phil.&quot;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div>\n<div><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/img.bleacherreport.net\/img\/article\/media_slots\/photos\/001\/683\/659\/hi-res-f752629431effff30983959a46874666_crop_exact.jpg?w=650&amp;h=433&amp;q=85\" width=\"650\" height=\"433\" \/><\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>Seth Wenig\/Associated Press<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The easy route would have been joining <a href=\"http:\/\/bleacherreport.com\/joakim-noah\">Joakim Noah<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/bleacherreport.com\/derrick-rose\">Derrick Rose<\/a> and the <a href=\"http:\/\/bleacherreport.com\/chicago-bulls\">Chicago Bulls<\/a>. Instead, Anthony wants to stay in New York and build a championship contender with Jackson as rookie head coach Derek Fisher takes the helm. As Boeheim said of Fisher: &quot;If you\u2019re going to pick a coach who hasn\u2019t coached, he would be the guy I would pick \u2026\u00a0He\u2019s really smart. I think he\u2019ll be a really good coach.&quot;<\/p>\n<p>Carmelo has bought into the incoming system; now it's just a matter of playing in it and fostering success through ruthless efficiency and execution. The ball cannot stick; no more isolation on possession after possession after possession.<\/p>\n<p>As Anthony told the <a href=\"http:\/\/nypost.com\/2014\/08\/18\/carmelo-is-sure-the-knicks-are-a-playoff-squad\/\"><em>New York Post<\/em>'s Fred Kerber<\/a>, there is undeniable cause for optimism in New York. Melo thinks the Knicks will &quot;absolutely&quot; return to the playoffs, but expectations beyond that have been tempered for the time being. As Melo stated: &quot;I can\u2019t wait to get started. No goals. Not setting any goals, but I just can\u2019t wait to get it back on.&quot;<\/p>\n<p>The Melo we don't yet know is the triangle Melo, a far cry from the &quot;iso Melo&quot; days of Mike Woodson, among other Knicks skippers, but the new system will not be all that drastic a change for Anthony's game, and his skill set should adapt fittingly to it.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Effects of the Triangle<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div>\n<div><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/img.bleacherreport.net\/img\/article\/media_slots\/photos\/001\/683\/656\/hi-res-2d7c35b37297ef96e484cf382eb168dc_crop_exact.jpg?w=650&amp;h=433&amp;q=85\" width=\"650\" height=\"433\" \/><\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>Andrew D. Bernstein\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Phil Jackson coached the triangle offense from 1989 through 1998 with the Chicago\u00a0Bulls, and from 1999 to 2004 and 2005 to 2011 with the <a href=\"http:\/\/bleacherreport.com\/los-angeles-lakers\">L.A. Lakers<\/a>. So how did the triangle affect the production of his best scorers?<\/p>\n<p>In Michael Jordan's first season under Phil, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/j\/jordami01.html\">1989-90<\/a>, he improved on his league-leading scoring average by one point per game and attempted 1.8 more shots on average while playing 1.2 fewer minutes per game. Jordan saw his rebounding and assist totals dip slightly.<\/p>\n<p>In <a href=\"http:\/\/bleacherreport.com\/kobe-bryant\">Kobe Bryant<\/a>'s first year under Jackson, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/bryanko01.html\">1999-00<\/a>, he saw his field-goal attempts increase by 2.3 per game and his scoring went up by 2.6 points while his minutes held steady around 38 per night. Kobe's shooting percentage ticked up slightly; he also added one extra rebound and assist per game from his 1998-99 average.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div>\n<table>\n<caption>Key Player Statistics Before and After Triangle Offense<\/caption>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Player<\/td>\n<td>Season<\/td>\n<td>MPG<\/td>\n<td>PPG<\/td>\n<td>FG Shooting<\/td>\n<td>RPG<\/td>\n<td>APG<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Jordan<\/td>\n<td>1988-89<\/td>\n<td>40.2<\/td>\n<td>32.5<\/td>\n<td>53.8<\/td>\n<td>8.0<\/td>\n<td>8.0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Jordan<\/td>\n<td>1989-90<\/td>\n<td>39.0<\/td>\n<td>33.6<\/td>\n<td>52.6<\/td>\n<td>6.9<\/td>\n<td>6.3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Kobe<\/td>\n<td>1998-99<\/td>\n<td>37.9<\/td>\n<td>19.9<\/td>\n<td>46.5<\/td>\n<td>5.3<\/td>\n<td>3.8<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Kobe<\/td>\n<td>1999-00<\/td>\n<td>38.2<\/td>\n<td>22.5<\/td>\n<td>46.8<\/td>\n<td>6.3<\/td>\n<td>4.9<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Melo<\/td>\n<td>2013-14<\/td>\n<td>38.7<\/td>\n<td>27.4<\/td>\n<td>45.2<\/td>\n<td>8.1<\/td>\n<td>3.1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>Basketball-Reference<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Anthony will still have the offense run through him, but even as he remains the focal point as with previous seasons, a game plan for success has been laid down, and the most important star has bought in on Jackson's plan.<\/p>\n<p>This is not to compare Melo to the &quot;Black Mamba&quot; or &quot;His Airness&quot; but merely to illustrate the effect of introducing the triangle around a team's marquee scorer. Age represents one clear differentiating factor, as\u00a0Melo turned 30 in May, part of the reason for his decision to shed some weight. Jordan was 26 years old when Jackson came to Chicago, and Kobe was 21 when the coach joined L.A.<\/p>\n<p>Age notwithstanding, the most significant factor in Melo's usage will be the cast around him and how he will need to deploy his range of skills in the new system.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div id=\"poll-331787\">\n<div id=\"poll-ballot-331787\">\n<h4>Will Carmelo Anthony's scoring average increase in his first season with the triangle offense?<\/h4>\n<div>\n<form id=\"poll-vote-form\" action=\"http:\/\/bleacherreport.com\/polls\/create\" method=\"post\"><label><input type=\"radio\" name=\"vote\" value=\"choice0\" \/> Yes, slightly, just like Jordan and Kobe before him. <\/label><label><input type=\"radio\" name=\"vote\" value=\"choice1\" \/> No, he's no longer the sole offensive focal point. <\/label>Submit Vote vote to see results<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"article\" value=\"1\" \/> <input type=\"hidden\" name=\"id\" value=\"331787\" \/><\/p>\n<\/form>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<h4>Will Carmelo Anthony's scoring average increase in his first season with the triangle offense?<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<h4>Yes, slightly, just like Jordan and Kobe before him.<\/h4>\n<div>\n<div>83.7%<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h4>No, he's no longer the sole offensive focal point.<\/h4>\n<div>\n<div>16.3%<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><label id=\"total_votes\">Total votes: 1,483<\/label><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Melo in 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Already, Melo has lost weight to be more of a combo forward in the triangle, per <a href=\"http:\/\/nypost.com\/2014\/08\/13\/melo-getting-into-triangle-shape\/\" target=\"_blank\">Marc Berman of the <em>New York Post<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>According to an &quot;Anthony confidant,&quot; Melo &quot;wants to be as athletic as he was when he was a rookie. Plus he wants to be a facilitator in the triangle and speed will help that.&quot; Some <a href=\"http:\/\/bleacherreport.com\/nba\">NBA<\/a> opponents have confirmed Anthony's improved fitness. <a href=\"http:\/\/bleacherreport.com\/orlando-magic\">Orlando Magic<\/a> forward Tobias Harris worked out with Anthony in June and confirmed, &quot;He looked real good.&quot;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>A slimmed-down Melo will rely less on his size and physicality to dominate opposing small forwards, instead capitalizing on his quickness and athleticism that vexed opposition 4s trying to guard him.<\/p>\n<p>There will be an adjustment period, to be sure. A whole host of new players have joined the team, chief among them the new starters in center Samuel Dalembert (who has not averaged more than 22.2 minutes per game in any of the last three seasons) and point guard Jose Calderon, both of whom will be 33 years old when the season begins.<\/p>\n<p>The triangle will benefit greatly from Calderon's three-point shooting (44.9 percent, 191 threes made) in addition to Pablo Prigioni's marksmanship (46.4 percent from downtown last season), which placed both of them in the top five among all three-point shooters for 2013-14.<\/p>\n<p>However, the jewel in the crown will be Melo's play in the pinch post. It will be up to Anthony to become the prototypical scorer from that floor position, where he is uniquely capable of thriving.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u00a0Restricted Free-Agency Status Backfiring on NBA Players and Teams? By D.J. Foster , Featured Columnist Aug 22, 2014 Share Tweet Next ARTICLE \u00bb Use your \u2190 \u2192 (arrow) keys to browse more stories USA TODAY Sports 6.2K Reads 26 Comments If it seems odd that two of the league's brightest young talents are still available [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ocean_post_layout":"","ocean_both_sidebars_style":"","ocean_both_sidebars_content_width":0,"ocean_both_sidebars_sidebars_width":0,"ocean_sidebar":"","ocean_second_sidebar":"","ocean_disable_margins":"enable","ocean_add_body_class":"","ocean_shortcode_before_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_after_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_before_header":"","ocean_shortcode_after_header":"","ocean_has_shortcode":"","ocean_shortcode_after_title":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_bottom":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_bottom":"","ocean_display_top_bar":"default","ocean_display_header":"default","ocean_header_style":"","ocean_center_header_left_menu":"","ocean_custom_header_template":"","ocean_custom_logo":0,"ocean_custom_retina_logo":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_height":0,"ocean_header_custom_menu":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_family":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_subset":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_size":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_unit":"px","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_line_height":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_unit":"","ocean_menu_typo_spacing":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_unit":"","ocean_menu_link_color":"","ocean_menu_link_color_hover":"","ocean_menu_link_color_active":"","ocean_menu_link_background":"","ocean_menu_link_hover_background":"","ocean_menu_link_active_background":"","ocean_menu_social_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_links_color":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_color":"","ocean_disable_title":"default","ocean_disable_heading":"default","ocean_post_title":"","ocean_post_subheading":"","ocean_post_title_style":"","ocean_post_title_background_color":"","ocean_post_title_background":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_image_position":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_attachment":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_repeat":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_size":"","ocean_post_title_height":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay":0.5,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay_color":"","ocean_disable_breadcrumbs":"default","ocean_breadcrumbs_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_separator_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_hover_color":"","ocean_display_footer_widgets":"default","ocean_display_footer_bottom":"default","ocean_custom_footer_template":"","ocean_post_oembed":"","ocean_post_self_hosted_media":"","ocean_post_video_embed":"","ocean_link_format":"","ocean_link_format_target":"self","ocean_quote_format":"","ocean_quote_format_link":"post","ocean_gallery_link_images":"on","ocean_gallery_id":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32671","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-all-posts","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hoops.co.il\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32671","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hoops.co.il\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hoops.co.il\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hoops.co.il\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hoops.co.il\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=32671"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/hoops.co.il\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32671\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32807,"href":"https:\/\/hoops.co.il\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32671\/revisions\/32807"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hoops.co.il\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=32671"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hoops.co.il\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=32671"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hoops.co.il\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=32671"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}